Lisa Blackmer

1.    In one paragraph please give a brief biography.

e-mail-  lmblackmer@msn.com

I am running for re-election to the North Adams City Council. I was born in Pittsfield and grew up in Williamsburg, a small town in Hampshire County.

When my husband and I moved to North Adams 23 years ago, we planned to move back to the Pioneer Valley, where our families were. Then our life took over — we worked, took classes, our kids made friends and got involved in sports, music and other activities.

We became sports boosters and band parents, sold Girl Scout cookies, candy bars, and fruit to name a few, anything that Drury band leader Carl Jenkins could come up with. I served on the first School Council when the state's education reform was enacted in 1993.

After my children graduated from high school, I became involved in other activities to give back to the community. I served on the board of the Berkshire Food Project, and the former Downtown Development Inc.'s Mohawk Theater project. I was and — still am — a Fall Foliage Parade and Festival Committee member. I was a founding member of the Northern Berkshire Food Festival Committee, and currently serve as the treasurer of the North Adams Open Studios Committee.  In May of 2001, I had the privilege of  representing Rotary International, our Country and City as a team member of a Group Study Exchange program to Belgium and Luxembourg, a four week vocational and cultural exchange for young professionals. This gave me the opportunity to examine and discuss the issues of health care, education, energy and cultural resources on the international level.

It seemed a natural progression to continue my public service by running for City Council to serve the residents of North Adams. As a councilor, I have served on the General Government and Community Development committees, participated in the majority of the Finance and Public Safety committee meetings and was the liaison to the Office of Tourism and Cultural Development, as well as the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from MCLA with a concentration in economics and finance. I have a certificate in nonprofit management and am pursuing a Master's degree in public administration. I participated in the Berkshire Leadership Program, which introduced the class to the nonprofits and the workings of Berkshire County.

I have worked as a human resource, financial, banking branch and assistant downtown  manager, among other positions. I use my experience and education to research issues that come before the Council to make the best decisions possible. I am enthusiastic about the city and promote it wherever I go. I worked hard to get elected in 2007, and I continue to bring that level of effort to make this a great place to live and work. It truly is a labor of love. I ask you to vote for me on Nov. 3 so I can continue to address the challenges we face and to celebrate our successes. 

2.   What is your vision for a reinvigorated North Adams 10 years down the road?

My vision for a new invigorated North Adams 10 Years down the road:

For those of you who have seen the movie “UP,” discussing the future of North Adams is like “squirrel.”  My mind jumping from one thing to another but in the end they are all connected and come back to each other.

My vision would include a diverse economic base, a revitalized downtown, a renovated housing stock, and a 21^st century education system.  These all are interconnected and create a web, each having many threads to the other.  The economic base would be created incrementally, one job here, three jobs there, ten here, thirty there. Gone are the days of thousands working at the same place.  We will take advantage of “green initiatives,” - playing off the science center at MCLA, we will have the technology and innovation needed to attract and retain business.  Construction and the trades will thrive as we renovate and build “smarter” buildings, and take advantage of regional efforts such as Global Foundries. We have a state of the art Voc/Tech high school, with trained workers ready to enter the workforce.  The carpenters I hired to work on my house were artists and small businessmen in their own right.  The fine and performing arts will prosper as the empty mills fill with live/work space for more artists and small businesses, maybe even saving a few spaces for us “admin. type” people who want to be part of something unique. The Mohawk Theater will provide performing arts space for expanded programs at MCLA, community groups, larger touring groups, and I hope be the centerpiece of an annual city-wide chocolate festival.  These would provide a catalyst for the downtown.  Success breeds success.  As all of these pieces come together, demand would increase for retail and restaurant ventures.  As the economy grows, residents would have more discretionary income to spend and invest.  They would have the time and energy to become re-engaged in North Adams.  The schools would be able to take advantage of the Mohawk Theater and MCLA science center to expand the offerings to our children.  This would then allow them to become part of our diverse economic base, and start their own web or search for their squirrels. 

3.     What is the roll of the city council in North Adams government and how should a city councilor’s vision of North Adams come into play in the course of governing North Adams?

The role of the Council is to first “stick to the knitting.”  We approve the budget, ordinance updates, and licenses on a regular basis.  We take care of the legislative function, but I personally think we have a larger role to play, even with a “strong Mayor” form of Government.  I think the City Council should have more of a role in the budget process.  Over 20 years ago, during the process, the Council had conversations with department heads regarding expenses.  That would be a more effective method.   We should also see the projected revenue side of the budget.

We need to advocate for the community and anything that would help us.  When we travel, we need to pay attention to what is happening in other areas. If a business 30 miles away is looking to re-locate, upsize or downsize, we have space. We need to pay attention and go after them. The city is a business and we need to market it.  Other communities are aggressive in their recruiting. They go to trade shows and have entire departments dedicated to these efforts.  We can’t afford that, but the councilors can be surrogates.  Nine sets of eyes and ears are better than one.  When I played little league, we had nine position players, we didn’t send the pitcher off to face the other team alone.

We also need to use our state representatives. Synthespian Studios owner Jeff Kleiser told Sen. Benjamin B. Downing at a  tax policy hearing on October 21^st  that the state's 12-month limit on film tax credits could kill a plan to bring 250 - 300 jobs to the area to work on a full-length animated picture.  I told Sen. Downing that we need to change the law or provide exemptions.  I called Rep. Dan Bosley’s office the next day and told him the same thing.  I will be calling the rest of the Berkshire Delegation.  In addition to those jobs, there is the economic ripple effect of vendors and businesses providing goods and services to the production and its employees.

The Council should play a role in long term planning for the City. The Council committees should play a larger role in supporting the City.  The Community Development committee should have input on the Community Development Block Grant application, the Mohawk Theater Renovation, the Hoosic River Revival, the Office of Tourism, and an overall marketing plan for North Adams.  It should be renamed the Community & Economic Development Committee.  There should be a liaison to the Berkshire Visitors Bureau.  With the Hospital being one of the largest employers, that also plays a crucial role in our community, there should be a liaison to NARH.  The Council should be open to new ideas and ways of doing things and always remember that they are the people’s representative in City government. 

      4.  Give concrete examples of how you would tackle three or more of the following issues.

a.   Employment in North Adams

(Submitted with title "Employment and Attracting Business:")

For a concrete example, we should bring Unistress to North Adams.  They have lots of concrete.

On a serious note, we need to retain the jobs and businesses we have.  We can do this by working with the Berkshire Regional Employment Board and the Berkshire Compact to make sure that our workers have the technical and job readiness skills needed to adjust to the changing demands of the workplace.  We can make sure that our community is welcoming and provides a high quality of life.  Children and adults need things to do.  We need a pro-business environment that would be welcoming and user friendly.  I would streamline the planning process and put it on-line.  Again, I would advocate to our elected officials for money and incentives to help with these efforts.  Sometimes you need to spend money to make money.  I think a reconstituted Downtown Development, Inc. and Industrial Park & Development, Corp. could lead the efforts to market and promote North Adams.  These efforts would help retain and recruit businesses and jobs. 

b.   Poverty In North Adams

Submitted with title "Poverty and Housing:"

 
I think that tackling the economic issues will help solve these issues.  If there are good paying jobs, then people can maintain their properties.  Good jobs bring home ownership, community commitment and less crime.  It's hard to be involved and engaged when you can't feed your family.  It's hard to help your children with homework or root for them on the playing field when you are working two low-paying jobs just to keep a roof over your heads.  We have been mentoring our students in the school system.  I think we need to take it a step further and have a mentoring program available for  parents.  There are those, for whatever reason, who did not have a positive educational experience.  Some are passing those feelings on to their children, which has a negative impact on the school environment.  If we can mentor and re-engage those parents, just think of the possibilities. 

I think that code enforcement of housing would help.  If there are issues with a property, it is easier to remediate in the early stages, and there is sometimes even grant money available for that.  Code enforcement also helps keep the criminal element at bay.  Living Wage Jobs that support your family would help people ward-off the demons that lead to criminal activity.  Which would attract more jobs - that web of inter-connectedness thing again.

c.    Housing in North Adams

d.   Crime in North Adams

e.    Attracting business to North Adams

f.     Preserving, utilizing, and promoting the Natural Resources of North Adams

g.     Engaging the people, skills, and talents, of North Adams toward a better North Adams

h.    Engaging with and utilizing the neighbors and the region surrounding North Adams

i. The Downtown of North Adams 

As the former Assistant Downtown Manager, I know the role that a vibrant downtown can play in the community.  Completing the renovation of the Mohawk Theater is key.  Working collaboratively with a proactive office of tourism, MoCA and MCLA to bring visitors and students to the downtown would add an economic and social boost.  I have been party to that with DDI, the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, and as a City Councilor.  I would like to work to have green space in the downtown.  After K-Mart closed, I even suggested that we turn some of the parking lot into a park with a gazebo so that we could have downtown concerts and other events.  There has been talk of benches on the street.  Another thought was to have something like the Moosefest project in Bennington. Well how about “Benchtacular?” These could be designed and painted by artists, integrating the arts community, the schools, the business community and the residents.  There was an economic impact in Pittsfield with Sheeptacular.  I know, because I spoke to the stakeholders.  I shop in our downtown and make it a point to speak with the downtown business owners on a regular basis.  I will continue those efforts.  This is just one idea, but the continued revitalization will take the ideas and commitment of everyone in the City.